canklecat

Yeah, that "supple" thin sidewall thing is why I've hesitated to put a nearly new set of Conti Grand Prix Classic skinwalls on my Ironman. Great tires but I occasionally ride the Ironman on gravel. It's mostly groomed "chat" trails, crushed pea gravel but occasionally there's chunkier, rougher stuff. And those Conti GP Classic skinwalls are translucent, very thin. So I've stayed with Conti Ultra Sport II in 700x25, which is adequate for groomed chat/gravel trails, and very tough including the sidewalls.


@rseeker above mentioned Michelin Protek Cross. I've ridden a set of the Michelin Protek Cross Max (thicker puncture shield) 700x40 (nominal, actually closer to 700x45) for almost four years on my errand bike. Those are outstanding for really hard use. I've never had a puncture flat or cut deep enough to do any harm. Yup, they're heavy but not too sluggish considering the weight, thick tread and stiff sidewalls. Highly recommended for trouble free commuting, errands and mixed use, including casual gravel rides -- it'll even handle that big, jagged rail ballast gravel that basically looks like tomahawk heads.

Again, I highly recommend the Continental SpeedRides for all arounders including serious gravel. You won't find a better value in a gravel capable tire, or dry cyclocross conditions. And great on pavement too. The sidewalls are a good compromise between the tanklike Michelin Protek Cross Max and the thin, supple but fragile skinwalls popular with some pricey boutique tires.

My only quibble with the SpeedRides is they're not available in 650b. For some reason I have a hankering to convert my Univega Via Carisma from 700c to 650b. Partly because the frame is just a tiny bit oversize for me -- nominally 58cm, but with a 57cm seat tube and 60cm top tube (c-t-c). I'm 5'11" with 33" inseam and I can prop the bike on the ball of one foot for stops. The 650b conversion would put the frame just a wee bit closer to the ground. But I might also need to swap out the 175 cranks for 172.5 or shorter. And I'm not sure the Exage canti brakes have quite enough adjustment in the slot for 650b rims. I'm only mildly interested, not enough to spend much money on a conversion. Especially if I can't get my favorite all around hybrid tire on it.

mechanicmatt

In fact I just purchased some Conti Speed Rides just today, so thanks all. I'll give my opinions soon. Also bought some other toys for it to try, *cough* Koga Denham bars *cough*, so we'll see how that goes.

mechanicmatt

Well I got tires in the mail and everything is awesome up front.



All okay around back at the top...



And f%$# me. I'm going to need something different. It's just too big, dang it.





Back to the drawing board. Got to go down a size.

mechanicmatt

So 700c x 40 ish is not a good size for the back tire of a 2008 Jamis Aurora if anyone is asking. And Conti Speed Rides are made in India, in case anyone cares. They seem very nice though, and light. It would have seemed to be exactly what I was looking for, now I have to just find something in a 700 x 35 ish size.

mechanicmatt

It looked really nice though...

mstateglfr 

Definitely on the large side of things for that style chainstay. No S bend, round tubing instead of oval, and no crimps all means tight fit for sure with something larger than 35mm if the chainstay isnt 450mm or longer.

As an option, you could always read up on how to crimp your stays...

AeroGut

I’m pretty happy with $25 700x38 specialized hemispheres. I like that they can go up to 100 psi, so they don’t feel as sluggish on roads as some of the lower pressure tires do. But if you’re on softer ground or want a plusher feel, they’re wide enough that you can drop the pressure down without worrying about pinch flats.

bwilli88 

Crimp
or flatten your chain stays. I took a barbell clamp and hammered it in the tire space which flattened the chain stays which gave me plenty of space for 42mm tires.

riva

As much as I've love to see that. Got to say would just run a 35 or 32 out back.

jeirvine 

Current wisdom is that higher pressure feels faster, because you feel more of the road surface as you ride. But lower pressure - with a supple tire, may actually be faster, since it's not slowed down by those surface imperfections through "suspension loss".

beech333

They are not cheap, but I put 35mm Schwalbe G-One tires on my singlespeed and love them. I even bought a larger set for another bike, but have not mounted them yet.

AeroGut

“With a supple tire” being the key words. When you’re in the $25 range, the losses from deformation are much more, and increase with lower pressure. The difference between 90 psi and the 50 psi that some of the wider 700c tires are recommended for is quite noticeable.

canklecat

Ahh, too bad the Speed Rides don't fit the rear. Sweet tires.

There are some 700x28 to 700x32 gravel and cross tires with similar tread that should fit.

mechanicmatt

Panaracer's mounted, wheels freed of brake rub, greased, and trued, new Koolstop brake pads mounted, chain lubed with Rock'n'Roll Gold, bottom bracket readjusted and installed, and derailleurs adjusted. Didn't realized she needed such an overhaul. Still one las upgrade to go...but progress so far.